Indeed! I've spent a lot more time hiring people than I have trying to be hired, and I can testify that this point is super critical.

Interviewers like me know that applicants almost always round up their resumes and experiences. If somebody doesn't do that, we might assume they are even less qualified than they actually are.

I'm not saying this to praise how things work, just to acknowledge reality.

Employers really really really want to hire good people who will do good work. But that can be challenging. Hiring is easily the most difficult and critical part of running any business.

As an autistic person myself, I always approached interviews with trepidation. I knew my company was a decent place to work (better than average pay, and no pressure to put in extra, uncompensated hours) but I knew applicants either would not know that or couldn't usually afford to care about it. They just needed the job!

So there I would sit, often for hours at a time, sometimes over the course of several days, my autistic ass doing my best to read faces and read between lines. Hardly my strengths!

All I wanted was for someone to tell me why I'd be happy if I hired them. I WANTED them to frame their experiences in a way to tell me why I'd be satisfied. And of course, I wanted them to have done their homework about the company so they would know how to do that.

But I'm talking about people applying for $20 an hour positions, not elite managerial jobs — so my expectations were not always realized.

Employers like me understand that having the right skills and personality for a job doesn't always equal having a good set of skills for the job interview.

People with autism like me often struggle on either side of the interview desk.

To practical advice like yours is all the more critical.

Thanks!